Chinese Idioms – dedicate myself to the service of my country

In the Western Jin Dynasty, there were two young men.One of them was Zu Ti and the other was Liu Kun.Both of them were men of ideals and integrity who were chivalrous and of a sanguine disposition.They not only wrote excellent articles but also were fond of practising martial arts to keep fit, in order to render meritorious service to the country.Both of them were chief clerks responsible for document administration in Luoyang.Although in appearance the Jin Dynasty had jurisdiction of the Central Plains comprising the middle and lower reaches of the Haunch and threatened by foreign invasion.Zu Ti and Liu Kun often talked about the country’s situation till late into the night, and each time they talk very excitedly again.

Liu Kun fell asleep without knowing it, but Zu Ti was too excited to fall asleep.” Cock-a-doodle-doo,”came to the crowd of a rooster in the wasteland.Zu Ti jumped up and kicked Liu Kun awake:”Listen.How inspiring the rooster’s crow is.Let’s get up and practised on a slope.From then on, they kept practising sword playing vigorously and energetically in the wasteland every day when they heard the first crow in the morning.

Deeply moved by Zu Ti’s patriotic passion, Liu Kun was determined to devote himself to his homeland.Once he wrote to his family:”At the time when the country is in dire peril, I am resolved to dedicate myself to the service of my country.I often fear that I might lag behind Zu Ti in rendering service to the country, and, in fact, I am behind him…”

The words” sleep with my head pillowed on a spear, waiting for the day to break”vividly described Liu Kun’s determination to dedicate himself to the service of the country and to fight the enemy at any time.Later, this set phrase is used to mean maintaining sharp vigilance and being ready to fight at any time.”